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DISCOURSE 



COMMEMMORATION OF THE CHARACTER AND SERVICES 

OP 

EEY. JAMES NATHANIEL GRANGES, D. D„ 
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Delivered on Sunday, Jan. 18, 1857. 

BY REV. FRANCIS WAYLAND, 






ALSO, 

AN ADDRESS, 



DELIVERED AT THE FUNERAL OF DR. GRANGER, 
On Thursday, Jan. 8, 1857, 

BY REV. ALEXIS CASWELL, D. D. 



PROVIDENCE: 
GEORGE H. WHITNEY, 

1857. 






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MAY 2 4 



DISCOURSE. 



Matt. xiv. 12.— And his disciples came and took up the body and 
buried it, and went and told jesus. 

Such is the brief narrative of the last offices -of love 
rendered to the forerunner of onr Lord. John Baptist 
had been cut off unexpectedly in the flower of his age 
and in the full vigor of his faculties. His disciples were 
suddenly left as sheep without a shepherd. They gath- 
ered around his lifeless body, with weeping they bore it 
to the tomb, and there they deposited it to await the 
resurrection of the just. They then repaired to the only 
source from which, in real trial, consolation can come. 
They went and told Jesus. 

An occasion not dissimilar to this has assembled us 
in this house of worship this morning. The pastor of a 
christian church, rich in varied endowments, and in the 
meridian of his usefulness, has, in an unexpected hour, 
been smitten down by death. The voice that so often and 
so eloquently spake to us from this place, of life, death, 
salvation and immortality is silent in the grave. Those 
hands that for so many years have broken for us the 
the memorials of a Saviour's love are motionless as the 



clod that covers them. That spirit which so lovingly 
and with so much power held communion with our 
spirits, is already in the presence of God. An unwont- 
ed solemnity has penetrated this whole community. To 
the people of his charge it is as though death had en- 
tered every family. Tears have fallen from eyes long 
unused to weeping. The old and the young have 
mourned for him as for a brother. His excellencies are 
the theme of every conversation, at the fireside and in 
the market place, and that man considers himself the 
most fortunate, who is able to recount the greatest num- 
ber of his deeds of christian charity and public benefi- 
cence. 

Amidst all these indications of general sorrow, you, 
the people whom he loved so well, have taken up his 
body and borne it to the grave. The Saviour bestowed 
this rich gift upon you. To Him you have returned it, 
in the full confidence that when Christ who was his life 
shall appear, then will your pastor likewise appear with 
him in glory. 

But whence this so general expression of sorrow 
for one who was withdrawn from those interests by 
which men are commonly associated together. From 
party strife and unholy contention he kept himself stu- 
diously aloof. With instinctive modesty he shrunk 
from places of honorable service, until he must either 
occupy them, or seem recreant to duty. His title to 
respect, the only title that he valued was that of a min- 
ister of Christ. It is in this character that he is so 
deeply engraven on your recollection. It is as a minis- 
ter of Christ that you will hand down his memory to 
your children. It is as a christian pastor that you 



have wept over his grave, and as a christian pastor that 
you look forward to a meeting with him, at the morning 
of the resurrection. 

But why does the death of a christian pastor awaken 
in a community, but especially in a church, so unwont- 
ed a lamentation. My brethren it is the natural fruit 
of true religion. The gospel creates affections in the 
heart, to which humanity was previously a stranger. 
Jesus Christ came to establish on earth an empire of 
love. Its germinating truth is expressed in the words, 
God so loved the world. The victories of the gospel 
are victories of love. Its purpose will never be accom- 
plished until it has bound together the whole host of 
the redeemed in one universal brotherhood, and united 
them to the sinless family of God, the general assembly 
and church of the first born. 

That love which is the essential element of all true 
religion, in the gospel of Jesus Christ, is marked by 
features peculiar to itself. The son of God forsook the 
glory which he had with the Father, and gave himself 
up as the price of our redemption. We are not redeem- 
ed with corruptible things, but with the precious blood 
of Christ. Nay more, he thus offered up himself for the 
salvation of every individual believer. And, on the other 
hand, the believer, overwhelmed with gratitude and love, 
in return, surrenders himself wholly to Christ. He can- 
not possibly be any longer his own. The badge of his 
discipleship is supreme love to his Redeemer, who 
loved him and gave himself for him. Thus the whole 
body of the redeemed are, by the bond of an identical 
affection, united to him who is the Head. They are all 
delivered into the same mould. They are all animated 



6 

by the same spirit. Their affections are placed on the 
same things above. United to Christy their life is hid 
with Christ in God. How closely thus does the princi- 
ple of love to Christ unite the human nature with the 
Divine. Behold what manner of love the Father hath 
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of 
God. 

And hence arises another form of affection peculiar 
to the gospel of Christ. The character of Christ is 
magnificently unique. There has been nothing on earth 
similar or second to it. In it are blended the elements 
of Deity and humanity ; it is the character of God, man- 
ifest in the flesh. It is this character which the believer 
supremely loves, and which it is the study of his life to 
imitate. Every disciple is thus formed in the image of 
Christ, and he who loves Christ supremely, must love 
better than anything on earth, his image impressed upon 
the character of his fellow disciple. Beloved, if God so 
loved us we ought also to love one another. He that 
loveth not is not born of God, neither he that loveth not 
his brother. This perfect bond unites in one all the 
children of God, from the beginning to the end of time. 
The spirit that spoke by the apostles, spoke also to the 
fathers by the prophets, and wrought the same moral 
lineaments in the souls of the ancient saints, which were 
more fully developed when God spoke to us by his son 
from heaven. The religion of righteous Abel is, in all 
its essential elements, the same as that which transforms 
the soul of him who was yesterday born into the king- 
dom of God. Hence it is that we bow in supplication 
with Abraham, and use his very words when we come 
before God to intercede for men. We gain victories 



over the world by contemplating the example of Moses, 
who esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than 
all the treasures of Egypt. With David we lie pros- 
trate in penitential sorrow, or pour out our souls in 
triumphant adoration, We share in the mighty labors 
of the apostle to the gentiles, and part from him with 
tears when he declares I am now ready to be offered 
and the time of my departure is at hand. We lean with 
the beloved apostle on the bosom of the Lord, and 
gaze with him in extasy at the glory that is to be re- 
vealed. We move onward along the ages, and as our 
eye now and then rests upon a glorious company of 
martyrs, we greet them on the scaffold and at the stake, 
and press them closely to our bosoms as brethren thrice 
honored and well beloved. With Bunyan we linger in 
the land of Beulah, we glance at the celestial city in 
the distance, and learn to dip our feet joyfully in the 
cold waters of the river of death. And thus when we 
see in the men around us the image of Christ, no matter 
under what denominational banner they may here have 
been enlisted, no matter what complexion an Indian or 
an African sun may have burnt upon them, no matter 
whether they be barbarian or Scythian, bond or free, 
learned or illiterate, despised or honored, we cleave to 
them with more than fraternal affection, and hail them 
as heirs with us of the same, blood-bought inheritance. 

The saints below and all the dead, 

But one communion make ; 
All join in God their living head, 

And of his grace partake. 

We are sometimes told of the divisions which have 
prevailed, and the wars that have been waged by men 



calling themselves christians. We grant it. Satan 
himself may assume the garb of an angel of light, but 
this does not prove that heaven is agitated by the pas- 
sions of hell. Where, in the whole history of the world, 
is there anything that has come down to us so peculiar, 
so unchanged, and so unchangeable as the religion of the 
bible. Towering over the wrecks of empire, immutable 
amidst the mutations of sublunary things, as it was at 
the begmning, such shall it continue to the end, the 
ever living testimony to the faithfulness of God, and to 
the truth of Jesus Christ whom he has sent. 

When the disciples of Christ are formed into a church, 
another and most delightful form of affection is created. 
They choose a Pastor to be over them in the Lord. To 
him they confide the charge of their spiritual interests. 
He is no priest, no mediator between them and God, 
but merely one of themselves, whom God has endowed 
with talents for building up and extending the church 
of Christ. To him is committed the care of souls. He 
has no authority by virtue of his office, his only duty is 
to set before them the precepts of the master, and plead 
with his hearers to obey them. He is to warn every 
man and teach every man in all wisdom, that he may 
present every man perfect in Christ Jesus ; whereunto 
he labors, according to the working that worketh in him 
mightily. 

To this labor the christian pastor consecrates his life. 
Immortal souls are committed to his charge, and he must 
so care for them that, at the last day, he may call upon 
them to bear record, that he is pure from the blood of 
all men. His intellectual labor is directed to one single 
object, the understanding of the word of God, that he 



may make it known to his people. He withdraws him- 
self from the world, and strives after the highest attain- 
ments in holiness, not only that he may save his own 
soul hut the souls of those that hear him. He labors 
rightly to divide the word of God, not for the praise of 
theological acumen, but that he may gather souls into 
the fold of Christ. And when he has done all this, his 
work is but half accomplished. Knowing full well how 
readily the seed sown on the Sabbath is choked by the 
cares of the world, he follows his people to their homes, 
and from house to house presses upon them the message 
of salvation. He enters the family circle, not to parti- 
cipate in the gossip of the hour, or to share in, or witness 
the amusements of the frivolous, the sensual, or the gay, 
but to plead with men to be reconciled to God. He 
may be seen in the counting room or the work shop, 
but it is not to converse upon the riches that perish, but 
the riches that endure to everlasting life. 

Under all these ministrations, men may remain 
thoughtless, procrastinating and worldly. There are, 
however, occasions in which thoughtlessness itself is 
abashed, and the realities of eternity assume somewhat 
of their true importance. At times, the Holy Spirit 
visits a soul in mercy, arousing the stupid conscience 
and wringing from the agonized heart the solemn in- 
quiry, what must I do to be saved ? At other times 
alarming illness enters a house, and the parent or child 
knows not only that he must die, but fears that he is 
very near to dying. Unsanctified and unholy, he must 
soon appear before the throne of a holy God, and he has 
sought for no intercessor. Or, the disciple of Christ has 
heard the call of the master, and is girding himself for 
2 



10 

the conflict with the last enemy. At such times as 
these, how welcome is the coming of the minister of the 
gospel. He points the converted sinner to the Lamb of 
God, he beholds him penitently fall prostrate before the 
cross, and arise a new creature in Christ Jesus. He 
kneels at the bedside of him whose coming eternity is 
covered with blackness, and pouring forth his soul unto 
Him who is alone able to save, directs the despairing 
eye to Him who said, this day shalt thou be with me in 
paradise. His heart melts within him as he discourses 
with the dying saint of the all sufficient atonement, the 
sure promises of God, the incomprehensible love of 
Christ, and the crown which is bestowed upon those who 
have fought the good fight and kept the faith. "While the 
voice of the minister of Jesus is yet falling upon the 
ear of the departing saint, the scene in an instant changes, 
the ransoned soul is at liberty and hears the voice of 
him that liveth and was dead, saying, Come thou bless- 
ed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for thee 
before the foundation of the world. 

Between the man whose life is spent in scenes such 
as these, and the people to whom he ministers, there 
springs up an affection which, aside from Christianity, 
has no parallel. No voice falls so soothingly as his 
upon the ear of the fatherless and the widow. In all 
the sorrows of his people his eye is the first to be mois- 
tened with tears.. In their prosperity his heart beats 
most quickly with sympathetic joy. No man shares so 
largely in the cup that is poured out for every family, 
whether it be in the bitterness of fatherly correction, or 
the overflowing of parental love. It is impossible not 
to love those who love our dearest interests better than 



11 

we love them ourselves. Hence the christian pastor is 
the beloved friend of every family in his flock. In the 
night of affliction, if he is not in the midst of them they 
are as sheep without a shepherd. In the day of pros- 
perity their joy is imperfect unless he be a sharer with 
them. To him grey headed men resort when most sore- 
ly pressed down with care. The young come to him 
for counsel, and go not forth to the battle of life until 
they have received his benediction. The fatherless lit- 
tle girl, with quickened step, runs homeward to tell her 
mother how the minister patted her on the head and 
spoke lovingly to her in the street, and the lone widow 
is comforted by the recollection that when broken in 
fortune her own kindred have forsaken her, there yet 
remains one friend that sticketh closer to her than a 
brother. Brethren, in a world of sorrow and bereave- 
ment how unspeakable a blessing are the affections be- 
stowed upon us by the gospel. They come down to us 
from the Father of lights, the giver of every good and 
perfect gift ; they belong not to earth but to heaven. . 

And when all these ties are rudely snapped by the 
hand of death, you can feel far better than I can tell, 
the bitterness of that cup which is poured out for a 
church and congregation. The pastor has drank his 
portion of it already. Amidst failing strength and 
agonizing pain, he has committed his own soul to God ; 
but who can describe the groanings which cannot be 
uttered, which he has poured out for the salvation of 
the people. They have heard from his lips the good 
news of pardon through the blood of Christ. He must 
meet them face to face at the clay of judgment, and 
many of them are unreconciled to God. He remembers 



12 

with gratitude all their kindness, but this only imparts 
an additional pang to the fear that they may yet be lost. 
He asks not for life, for he is ready to depart and be 
with Christ. But 0, could he, after gazing with his 
own eyes upon the realities of eternity, speak to them 
but once more of the great salvation, the misery of the 
lost and blessedness of the redeemed ! But it may not 
be. His message has been delivered. The vision is 
sealed. He will meet them no more until he and they 
stand together before the throne. 

The sorrow enters every house, and every family 
mourns apart, for a friend and brother has been taken 
from the midst of them. The pulpit is dressed in 
mourning, and strangers break to the people the bread 
of life. Men sicken and die, and there is no one to 
console the saint, or point the sinner to the Lamb of 
God. The well known seat at the fireside is unoccupied. 
The kindly greeting and the warning voice of the pas- 
tor are no longer heard, in the street or the counting 
room. Men as they meet each other tell of their sor- 
row as if a kinsman had been taken away. The 
thoughtful treasure up his instructions among their 
most precious recollections, and the thoughtless cannot 
forget that a servant of God has delivered to them his 
last message, and borne away the result to the judgment 
seat of Christ. 

At such a time as this, my brethren, when the hand 
of bereavement presses heavily upon us, whither shall we 
go for help. An under shepherd has been removed, but 
the Shepherd and Bishop of souls remains, the same yes- 
terday and to-day, and forever. We will imitate the 
disciples of John. Let us go and tell Jesus. 



13 

And what, my brethren, shall we tell him ? Shall 
we say that he has dealt with lis unjustly ? Shall we 
say that he had no right to recall his own servant whom 
he had lent to us so long ? Shall we then accuse the 
judge of the whole earth of acting wrongfully ? Shall 
we say to Him that the cause of religion needed the 
labors of his servant, and that in removing him He has 
acted unwisely ? Shall we then assume to teach om- 
niscience wisdom ? Shall we say that he has acted to us 
unkindly ? Shall we doubt his love who spared not 
his own Son but delivered him up for us all ? Shall we 
remonstrate with Him because he has taken to himself 
our brother, when his work seemed but half accomplish- 
ed ? When the voice from the excellent glory has sum- 
moned him up higher, should we revoke the invitation, 
and hold back the crown already waiting to adorn his 
brow ? All this be far from us brethren. From the 
word of God, from the precept and example of our 
brother, we have been taught too well for that. With 
those who have gained the victory, we will bow in 
lowly adoration before the throne, saying great and 
marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty ; just and 
true are thy ways, King of saints. Though stunned 
at the blow which has smitten us, we will not murmur, 
for the hand that is laid upon us is the hand of our Fa- 
ther. The cup which our Father has given us, shall we 
not drink it ? Deriving confidence from affliction, we 
will rise from the dust ; and though our eyes be bedim- 
med with tears, we will take hold of his strength, and 
say though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. 

When we go to tell Jesus we will say to Him, right- 
eous art thou, Lord, when we plead with thee yet, let 



14 

us talk with thee of thy judgments. We will tell Him 
of his church left desolate, and commend it to Him who 
ever liveth to intercede for it. We will tell him of the 
souls to whom the gospel has been so long preached in 
vain, and ask him to pour out his spirit upon them. We 
will remind him that precious in the sight of the Lord 
is the death of his saints, and pray that this last, the 
most impressive of all his monitions, may not go un- 
heeded. We will humbly ask of Him wherefore he doth 
contend with us ? We will inquire whether we have 
been relying on means, rather than on that Spirit which 
alone can render any means effectual." We will seek to 
know whether we have been standing aloof from the 
work of the Lord, and making our love to his servant, 
a reason for leaving to him the work which we should 
have done ourselves. We will examine our courses of 
life and ask have we by our worldliness, rendered the 
words which he spoke ineffectual to others. And what- 
ever be our sins, we will humbly repent of and honestly 
forsake them. We will do our first works and renew 
our covenant with our Saviour, and we will cease not to 
seek the Lord, until he rain down righteousness upon 
us. Though a standard bearer has fallen, the standard 
must not be trampled under foot. Let this church rise 
up to a man and rescue it, and once more in the name 
of the Lord of Hosts set up the banner. Then even 
this affliction may be remembered with humble thanks- 
giving. Thus shall every one of you, even here, be a 
co-laborer with your pastor now with God. The work 
which you did not with him when on earth, you may 
yet do with him now that he is in glory. Thus shall 
be fulfilled the saying that is written, Blessed are the 



15 

dead that die in the Lord. Yea saith the spirit, for 
they rest from their labors and their works do follow 
them. See to it, brethren, that the works of your pas- 
tor follow him to glory. 

And when strong in faith you approach the mercy 
seat; when you draw so near to God that you hear the 
Saviour whisper, be it unto thee even as thou wilt; 
when it is thus well with you, then remember the lone 
widow and the fatherless children of our brother depart- 
ed. Speak to the Saviour of her irreparable loss, of that 
sorrow which none but Him can adequately measure. 
Lay before Him the case of those fatherless little ones, 
exposed to the snares and allurements of an ungodly 
world. Bring this sorrow stricken group in the arms 
of your faith, and lay them down at the feet of Jesus, 
That is the sure place of refuge for the widow and the 
fatherless. Ask the Saviour to preside over every step 
of their destiny, and make them all in early youth the 
monuments of his saving grace. Standing by the grave 
of the husband and the father, we will ask for them a 
double portion of that spirit, which shall endow them 
richly for usefulness here, and present them all, an un- 
broken family, amid the general assembly and church 
of the first born. 

But, perhaps I have detained you too long by these 
remarks, which have sprung almost unbidden from the 
circumstances of the occasion. You expect from me 
some delineation of the character of your departed pas- 
tor. I am well aware of my incompetency to present 
him before you as he is treasured up among your se- 
lectest recollections. You yourselves could not speak 
of him one half of what you feel. Bear this in mind, 



16 

and you will the more readily pardon the imperfection 
of my attempt to set him before you as he will ever be 
engraven on my memory. 

My acquaintance with Dr. Granger, commenced four- 
teen years since, when he came among us to preach at 
your invitation. From that time I have known him in- 
timately, and have been permitted to share with him 
some of his most important labors. On my first inter- 
course with him, I was deeply impressed with the man- 
ly frankness of his bearing, his modest estimate of his 
own abilities, and the simple minded devotion to duty 
which seemed to govern all his decisions. He was then 
but twenty-eight years of age, yet such was the matu- 
rity of his judgment and the solidity of his character, 
that he already seemed endowed with the wisdom of 
long experience. I do not believe that it ever occurred 
to you, I am sure it never occurred to me, that we were 
choosing for our pastor, a man younger by far than any 
who had ever occupied that office among us. 

When he became a resident of our city, the elements 
of his character were soon known and read of all men. 
The powers of his intellect were active and masculine. 
The grasp of his mind was vigorous and comprehensive. 
Prettiness of every kind, and ornament for the sake of 
ornament were utterly distasteful to him. Passing by 
incidental and lighter relations, he naturally seized upon 
the foundation truths of the subject before him, and mas- 
tered them with remarkable facility. His capacity for 
acquisition was large, and hence we were frequently 
surprised to observe, notwithstanding his numerous en- 
gagements, the growing accumulations of his intellec- 
tual wealth. His power of conception belonged rather 



17 

to the imagination than the fancy. He delighted rather 
in bold generalizations than in tasteful specialities. 
Hence his discourses were rich in broad views, essential 
truths, universal principles, rather than in exquisiteness 
of finish, or particular directions in duty. His happiest 
efforts were those, in which his soul was stirred to its 
utmost depths by expanding views of the glories of re- 
demption, or the coming triumphs of the kingdom of 
Christ. It was then that he yielded himself up to the 
magnificence of the theme, and, from a full heart, pour- 
ed forth a torrent of impassioned eloquence which bore 
his audience irresistabty along with him. 

The powers of his mind were naturally excited to ac- 
tion by an intense love of truth. He delighted in in- 
vestigation. Not only the results of study, but study 
itself pleased him. Aside from his ordinary labors, he 
seemed to have always before him some subject of bib- 
lical research, which he was pursuing with a well defined 
purpose. I do not think that detail in itself was pleas- 
ing to him ; yet there was no amount of detail which he 
would not sift to the bottom, if valuable truth were hid- 
den there which could be arrived at in no other manner. 
A few years since, it became his duty to make a report 
on a subject involving some practical directions for our 
missions in the East, and requiring the examination of- 
a voluminous mass of documents. He undertook the la- 
bor during the few weeks of a summer vacation. When 
he returned and showed me the result, I was amazed at 
the extent and thoroughness of his research. The whole 
subject, in principle and detail, had been minutely ex- 
amined, and further inquiry seemed a work of superer- 
rogation. Though not myself wholly unaccustomed to 
3 



18 

labor, I looked with astonishment at the amount of his 
work, and the thoroughness with which it had been ac- 
complished. 

I have said that he delighted in the investigation of 
truth. I say this emphatically. It was not attractive 
theory or brilliant paradox that he sought after. It was 
truth, unadorned and simple, untinged by party preju- 
dice, or denominational bias, that he loved. In this 
respect his mind had a large measure of the judicial ele- 
ment. In small matters as in great he seemed in an 
unusual degree incapable of prejudice. The transient 
impulses of public opinion seemed not to reach the re- 
gion in which he habitually moved. He looked upon 
the most exciting subject and in the moment of univer- 
sal agitation, just as other men looked at it when the 
excitement had passed away, and the agitation had long 
since subsided. Many of you will, I doubt not, remem- 
ber a variety of illustrations of the truth of what I say. 
You have at times differed from him, some on one hand 
and some on the other ; but after a little time had elaps- 
ed, you have been surprised to find yourselves, you 
hardly knew how, occupying the same position which 
he had occupied from the beginning. 

This acknowledged soundness of judgment was the 
natural result of his eminent disinterestedness. This 
was a feature of his character which attracted the atten- 
tion of the most transient observer. Whether it were in 
the discussion of an abstract principle, or the perform- 
ance of a practical duty, his personal relation to it 
seemed the last thing that occurred to him. Hence the 
earnestness of his interest in a subject did not prevent 
him from looking at it with the calmness of an unbias- 



19 

ed spectator,. Nor was this element of his character 
limited to his intellectual investigations. It was the 
inbred instinct of his nature. At home or abroad, in 
business or relaxation, he seemed, without any deliber- 
ate intention, to prefer the convenience of others to his 
own. He never appeared to consider that a discomfort 
to himself, which alleviated the discomfort of any other 
human being. Labors which others would cheerfully have 
shared with him, he performed under pain, weariness 
and prostration, rather than impose a burden on those 
who loved him best. From this cause, the real danger 
of his illness was concealed from his intimate friends. 
His unwillingness to give them pain kept them in ig- 
norance of the ravages of disease, until they were 
shocked by the announcement that his case was hope- 
less. 

In common with all noble natures, gratitude was a 
grace of his character which seemed constantly in exer- 
cise. The kindness which he extended to others seem- 
ed to him as nothing. He could not bear to hear it 
mentioned. His charities, when it was possible, were 
strictly private, and were discovered only by accident. 
On the contrary, whatever was done for him seemed in- 
delibly written on his recollection, and was never re- 
called without outgushings of grateful emotion. I know 
that these words will recall innumerable instances of his 
touching remembrance of acts of kindness, which seem- 
ed so spontaneously Ms due, that in performing them 
you never thought you were conferring on him a favor. 

His intercourse with others was marked by frankness, 
openness and sincerity. To guile in any form he was 
utterly a stranger, I do not think it would have been 



20 

possible for hirn to seem to intend one thing, while he 
was conscious of intending another. Yet with this unre- 
served frankness was combined a delicate respect for 
the feelings of others. Though his actions were some- 
times misrepresented^ and his motives misconceived, yet 
during an intimacy of fourteen years, I cannot remem- 
ber an instance in which he spoke to me of another with 
bitterness ; or used a word respecting an absent person 
which he might not with propriety have said to him had 
he been present. 

His temper, though naturally grave, was uniformly 
cheerful. I doubt whether any one of you ever heard 
him utter a joke, or ever met him when he was moody, 
sullen, or morose. He enjoyed innocent pleasantry, but 
the habit of his mind Avas earnest, serious thought. His 
reading was all of a corresponding character. I do not 
think that I ever saw upon his table a work of fiction, 
or even of light literature, or indeed any book which 
was not, either directly or indirectly, connected with 
ministerial study. 

These elements of character were all sustained and 
controlled by an ever present love of duty. I do not 
believe that any other word was so frequently on his 
lips, or any other idea so constantly present in his 
thoughts. In whatever business he engaged, whether 
the labors of a pastor, or the management of a benevo- 
lent institution, he seemed to think of nothing else than 
the honest discharge of his duty. Nothing but the ob- 
vious indication of Providence detained him from a 
meeting which, but for this indication, it would have 
been his duty to attend. It mattered little to what in- 
conveniences he might be subjected, or by what mid- 



21 

night vigils the time thus spent must be redeemed. 
Having accepted an office he felt conscientiously obliged 
to fulfil its responsibilities to the letter. It has thus 
happened, that the influence of his councils has, to so 
remarkable a degree, pervaded so many of our most 
important organizations. 

You will at once recognize the presence of these nat- 
ural endowments in the formation of his religious char- 
acter. When he gave himself up to Christ, with his 
habitual decision of character, he gave himself wholly. 
There seemed not a wish or a purpose which he did not 
honestly desire to consecrate to the service of his Re- 
deemer. If he erred it was not from a selfish purpose 
to do his own will, but from a misunderstanding of the 
will of the master. To move him to any course of con- 
duct, nothing further was needful than to show him, on 
reasonable grounds, that such was the will of God. No 
one indeed who knew him would ever have thought of urg- 
ing upon him any different, or even collateral motive. He 
would form his decision with deliberation and prayer, 
but having once arrived at the knowledge of his duty, 
his purpose was formed in a spirit of self-forgetfulness 
rarely to be observed. In his religious life there was, I 
think, but little either of rapture or depression. It was 
the steady movement of a soul intent on doing the 
whole will of the master. Hence the evidence of his 
adoption was not largely emotional ; it was rather the 
humble but consistent consciousness that he desired 
above all things to obey the Saviour who had died for 
him. 

These various intellectual and moral excellencies 
found their appropriate field in the ministry of the gos» 



22 

pel. His love of investigation found abundant gratifi- 
cation in the study of the word of God. He had a nat- 
ural taste for philology, and biblical research of every 
kind delighted him. But his chosen field of labor was 
the ministry of the word. His love of preaching might 
almost be designated a passion ; and to preach the gos- 
pel here among his own people, was a happiness with 
which he could place nothing in comparison. When, on 
one occasion, he was urged to relinquish the ministry, 
only for a year or two, to attend to his paternal estate, 
then greatly depreciating from neglect, he received the 
proposal almost with scorn. Pie was astonished that 
any one should for a moment place the possession of 
wealth in competition with preaching the gospel. When 
successive attacks of disease were undermining his 
strength, his love of preaching became even more in- 
tense. He could bear sickness, he could endure pain, 
but he could not entertain the thought of being laid 
aside from this labor, and in this place. The least alle- 
viation of disease aroused within him the buoyant hope 
that he should shortly re-occupy this pulpit, and plead 
with men to be reconciled to God. To this hope he 
clung with almost desperation, even to the last ; and it 
was late in the week before his death that he anticipa- 
ted meeting with his people in humiliation and prayer, 
on the first Monday of the year. On that very day his 
prayers were ended and he entered into rest. 

But while the preaching of the gospel occupied so 
large a portion of the labors of Dr. Granger, he was 
deeply interested in every effort to advance the progress 
of religion, and the interests of humanity. His services 
in these departments of christian labor were eagerly 



23 

sought and cheerfully rendered. For many years he 
was President of the Rhode Island Baptist State Con- 
vention, and had in a special manner the care of all our 
feeble churches. He was also President of the Rhode 
Island Sunday School Union. At the time of his death, 
he was a member of the Board of the Newton Theologi- 
cal Institution, and an active member of its committee 
of examination. In 1851 he was elected a Trustee, 
and in 1853, a Fellow, of Brown University, 
and a member of the Executive Board of that In- 
stitution. But aside from the duties of the pastorate, 
nothing was so dear to his heart as the cause of Foreign 
Missions. A large portion of his time, during the later 
years of his life, was devoted to labors for the heathen. 
The very large contributions of this church for this ob- 
ject were mainly the result of his persuasive eloquence 
and liberal example. Besides attending the meetings 
of the Board and of the Union, in which he always bore 
a prominent part, his labors on important committees 
were onerous and time-consuming. And here, for I will 
speak frankly, I know that you will forgive me if I am 
in error, I think that his generous nature misled him. 
His health was impaired more by these labors than by 
those of the pastorate. They crowded his parochial du- 
ties frequently, into the mere fraction of the week, an d 
obliged him to employ in study, the hours which nature 
requires for repose. The violation of the laws of our 
physical being are visited with the same result, what- 
ever may be the motive for their violation. 

And here, I should clo injustice to my brother depart- 
ed, were I to refrain from expressing my opinion of his 
labors as a member of the deputation to India. 



24 

For some years previously to the appointment of the 
deputation, a fear had arisen among the friends of mis- 
sions, both in Europe and America, that our efforts to 
evangelize the nations were in danger of swerving from 
their original design. The press seemed to be usurping 
the place of the preacher of the word. Some men ap- 
peared to suppose, that to labor in almost any good de- 
sign was to preach the gospel. Reliance on intellectual 
culture was taking the place of reliance on the word of 
God, attended by the power of the Holy Spirit. Means 
of human devising were in danger of being substituted 
for the means placed in our hands by the ascended Re- 
deemer. Sight was taking the place of faith, and ob- 
jects of general philanthropy were attracting that atten- 
tion which belongs only to the salvation of the soul. 
Missionaries were collecting together in more favored 
towns and cities, instead of carrying the gospel to the 
regions beyond. The teaching of English was rapidly 
extending ; and missionaries of various societies might 
be found, who after several years residence in India, 
were unable to converse in the vernacular. It was 
thought that the time was come for a personal examina- 
tion of these subjects on heathen ground, by the sup- 
porters of missions at home. An additional reason ex 
isted in respect to ourselves. The whole of Southern 
Burmah had just come under the dominion of Great 
Britain, and an opportunity was thus offered for extend- 
ing our labors in that country, beyond any former pre- 
cedent. The necessity of important changes was thus 
rendered apparent ; and they could only be judiciously 
made by a conference between the missionaries abroad 
and the friends of missions in the United States. 



25 

When it was determined that a deputation should be 
sent, the question arose who shall accompany the hon- 
ored and revered Secretary of the Board. All eyes 
were at once directed to your pastor. His love to the 
missionary cause was well known to the churches. He 
possessed a knowledge of missions in general, and of 
our missions in particular, more exact and extensive 
than any one of us, the Secretaries themselves only ex- 
cepted. He had maintained an intimate correspondence 
with many of our oldest missionaries, and had made 
himself acquainted with their personal character and the 
nature and condition of their work. The clearness of 
his views,* the kindness of his nature and the firmness 
of his adherence to principle, pointed him out as the 
man specially designed for this service. He was after 
due deliberation unanimously appointed. 

At this very time, Dr. Granger was on the eve of de- 
parting for Europe. A visit to the old world, had, from 
youth, been the cherished object of his desires. He 
honestly believed, whether correctly or incorrectly, it is 
not for me to say, that by intercourse with foreign 
scholars his usefulness as a minister might be increased ; 
and that, at the same time, his health already impaired, 
might be invigorated. Permission of absence on the 
most liberal conditions had been granted by his people, 
a supply for the pulpit had been provided, and the ar- 
rangements had been made for his immediate embarka- 
tion. It was at this moment that he was informed of 
his appointment as a member of the deputation to India. 
The thing took him by surprise. To accept the ap- 
pointment was to abandon a long cherished hope, and 
bid adieu to many a fond anticipation. He paused and 
4 



26 

consulted his brethren. They all believed that this 
work must be done, and that he was the man to do it. 
This general consent he looked upon as an indication of 
the will of God, and having discovered this, he had no 
other questions to ask. He at once accepted the ap- 
pointment. He did more, he accepted it without utter- 
ing a murmur, or expressing a regret. He never al- 
luded to it as a sacrifice. It was the will of the Master, 
and this was enough. His direction was instantly 
changed, and in company with the Secretary was soon 
on his passage to India. 

The duty to be performed was delicate and important. 
There was diversity of opinion among the missionaries 
themselves. Dr. Granger's views were the result of pa- 
tient thought, aided by large reading and extensive cor- 
respondence. He believed that the only safe rule for 
the conduct of missions must be sought in the precepts 
of Christ and the acts of his apostles ; that the heathen 
world is the same now as it was in the apostolic age, and 
that its relations to Christianity are essentially the same ; 
that the only means committed to us for the conversion 
of men is the preaching of the gospel, with simple reli- 
ance on the power of the Holy Ghost ; that the gospel 
is to be addressed to men and women as of old, and not 
merely to children, for God is as able to convert the pa- 
rent as the child ; that the press is valuable, but only 
valuable as an auxiliary to the preaching of the word, 
and that it must accompany or follow, and not precede, 
the herald of salvation ; that teaching schools may be a 
benevolent work, but no more the work of a missionary 
abroad than of a minister at home ; that heathen nations 
are to be evangelized, after the gospel has been planted 



27 



among thein, by native preachers, through churches of 
their own people, ministered to by men from themselves ; 
and that, if Christ had intended to convert men by in- 
troducing them, as it is said, to the treasures of litera- 
ture and science found in another language, he would 
have sent forth his apostles, not to preach salvation 
through his cross, but to teach the little barbarians to 
read Greek. 

With these views he went abroad, and all that he saw 
there confirmed him in their truth. He saw young men 
bearing away the highest prizes for scientific attainment 
in missionary schools, wearing unchanged the ancient 
badges of heathenism. He beheld natives making their 
offerings to Ganges, within the shadow of the College 
at Serampore. The views which he held he labored to 
impress upon his brethren, and carry to their practi- 
cal results. He found many, whose praise is in all the 
churches, fully coinciding with the deputation from the 
beginning. The opinions of others were modified in the 
progress of the discussions. Others he and the Secre- 
tary failed to convince, and most of them have since 
separated themselves from the Union. I have read a 
full record of the proceedings and debates of the con- 
vention at Maulmain, and it is my duty to state in this 
place, that I have yet to discover the first important point, 
in which I think that your pastor either failed in tem- 
per ? or erred in judgment. To his social urbanity and 
christian courtesy, as well as to the value of his sugges- 
tions on the manner of conducting their work, the mis- 
sionaries in convention, at the close of the proceedings, 
bore unanimous and honorable testimony. Some of the 
most venerated and beloved of them were so much 



28 

charmed with his character, that they besought him to 
exchange his labors at home for labors among the 
heathen. Had he left this church and people, I do not 
believe that any situation would have been so attractive 
to him as a missionary station in Burmah. I know that 
words different from these have been uttered. You who 
knew him would not listen to me, did I deign to reply 
to, or even deny them. Let charity to their authors 
cover them with the mantle of everlasting oblivion. 

The wisdom of the course which he adopted has been 
proved by subsequent events. The deputation of the 
American Board, who followed our brethren on a simi- 
lar errand, found themselves constrained to advocate 
and adopt the general views and measures advocated by 
Dr. Granger, and their doings, after full discussion, have 
been sanctioned, I think unanimously, at the last meet- 
ing of that able and venerable Board. The deputation 
of the English Baptist Missionary Society, came, as I 
understand, to the same conclusion. The reformation 
is extending over India, and it must change the mode 
of missionary labor throughout the world. And more 
than all, the spirit of God has given his attestation to 
the word of our brethren. Never, since the establish- 
ment of our missions, have conversions been so numer- 
ous ; never have churches, and native preachers to sup- 
ply them, been so greatly multiplied ; and never has the 
self-sustaining power of the native churches been so ad- 
mirably developed, as within the period that has elapsed 
since the visit of the deputation. 

Since the death of Dr. Granger, I have received a let- 
ter from the Rev. Dr. Anderson, the senior Secretary of 
the American Board, in my opinion the highest living 



29 

authority on the subject of missions, from which, with 
your permission, I will extract the following testimony. 
" I have carefully studied the course of our departed 
friend, and his respected associate, when in conference 
with the missions in Burmah, with the help of their pri- 
vate journals ; and knowing how far the great questions 
to he settled in our missionary work, lie off from the 
track of pastoral life here at home, I was greatly sur- 
prised at the readiness with which Dr. Granger compre- 
hended them. I have often spoken of it. He must 
have had rare talents for the business committed to him, 
and was evidently raised up for it by the Lord of Mis- 
sions ; and, in an emergency demanding great courage 
and decision, performed a service which entitles his 
memory to be held in grateful remembrance by the 
friends of misssions in every denomination of christians." 
Dr. Granger returned from this labor of love with ap- 
parently renewed health ; but it soon became evident 
that his constitution was seriously enfeebled. After 
preaching for a few months, he was constrained to ask 
for a remission of labor. A period of relaxation seemed 
to revive him, and he again resumed the charge of the 
church. Again he was compelled to seek health in re- 
pose. He continued to pass through the various phases 
of improvement and decline, without awakening either in 
his own mind, or the minds of his people, the fear of an 
immediately fatal termination. At last, on Friday, Jan- 
uary 2d, fatal symptoms suddenly supervened. These 
were soon accompanied by delirium. On the morning 
of the following Monday, January 5th, he feel asleep in 
Jesus. 



30 

My brethren of this church, the labors of your pastor 
are closed. The record of them is sealed up for the day 
of judgment. A record of the manner in which you 
have been profited by his instructions, has also been 
kept. These records will both be opened on the same 
day. How are you prepared to meet it. On what soil 
has the seed which he has sown fallen. Has it fallen 
upon hearts broken by contrition, has it been watered 
by prayer, and has it brought forth fruit unto everlasting 
life. If so, you will take up the work where our brother 
has left it, and give yourselves up to faithful and self- 
sacrificing labors for the salvation of souls. You will 
break up the fallow ground, and sow in righteousness, 
and seek the Lord until he rain down righteousness 
upon you. The master has no more impressive admon- 
ition remaining. Let it be seen that this call to a holy, 
self-denying christian life, be not uttered in vain. Thus 
only can this sore affliction bring forth its appropriate 
fruit. Thus only can your mourning be turned to holy 
joy, thus only can you be clothed with the garments of 
praise in exchange for the spirit of heaviness. 

Many of you, I fear, have heard without profit the 
words of eternal life spoken by the servant of God 
whose loss we so deeply deplore. For fourteen years he 
has urged upon you repentance towards God, and has 
held up before you Christ crucified as the only Saviour 
of sinners. Those of you who were children when he 
came among us have already arrived at manhood ; those 
who were then in middle life are now grey headed men. 
So large a portion of the life of every one of you has 
been spent under the influence of his ministrations. 
The manner in which you have responded to the mes- 



^1 

ol 

sage of salvation is also placed upon record. That mes- 
sage is always a savor of life unto life, or of death unto 
death. If you continue worldly and thoughtless, he who 
loved you so well must at that day bear witness against 
you. One more call to repentance, the most solemn of 
all has been given to you. I beseech you harken to 
the voice by which your minister, though dead, yet 
speaketh. Fulfil the desire of him, who would willing- 
ly have died, if he might have thus secured your salva- 
tion. Thus only shall you meet him with joy at that 
day, when you and he shall once more stand face to 
face in the presence of God, 



FTJNEBAL ADDEESS 

BY 

DR. CASWELL. 



Brethren and Friends, — 

In rising to address you, I am oppressed by my own 
feelings no less than by the solemnity of the occasion. 
Never have I attempted to perforin a service for which 
I felt myself so utterly inadequate. 

The beloved pastor, the long-tried personal friend, the 
christian brother, endeared by a thousand acts of sym- 
pathy and kindness, lies before me in the cold embrace 
of death. That tongue which has so often from this 
place spoken of life and immortality, which has dwelt 
with such deep and glowing earnestness upon the un- 
searchable riches of Christ, will speak no more. That 
heart which throbbed with every generous sentiment, — 
with reverence to God and love to man, — which delighted 
to bow before the throne and worship in the beauty of 
holiness, has ceased to beat. Death reigns over all that 
was mortal of him, whom we deplore. 

What can I say of his many virtues that you do not 
already know ? What can I say of the irreparable loss 
which we have been called to suffer, that you do not al- 
ready feel ? What can I say of him worthy of remem- 
brance, that is not already enshrined in your inmost 



34 

hearts ? I shall attempt no studied eulogy, nor any 
formal delineation of his character. The brevity of time 
since his departure, as well as the distracted state of my 
own feelings will not permit me to do so. This task 
will belong to a more fitting opportunity, and to other 
hands than mine. What I shall say will be brief and 
simple, uttered from the fulness of my heart. 

The Reverend James N. Granger, was the son of the 
late Erastus Granger, Esq., of Buffalo, in the State of 
New York. He was born in Canandaigua, in the month 
of August, 1814. At the early age of twelve years he 
was bereft of a most excellent father. From this period 
his youthful steps were directed by the councils of a 
pious and ever honored mother, who happily lived to see 
him in the full maturity of his powers and usefulness. 
She paid the debt of nature while her beloved son was 
far away on his mission to the East, At the age of 
seventeen, that son received the appointment of a Cadet 
in the United States Military Academy at West Point. 
But it was not the intention of a overruling Providence 
that his energies should be given to the service of war. 
Before the time arrived at which he was to repair to 
that Institution, an event occurred, which changed at 
once the purposes of his life ; and manifestly showed 
that his high appointment was not to the service of war, 
but to the ministry of reconciliation. It was during the 
interval to which I have referred in 1831, that he was 
brought to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus. 
He made a public profession of his faith in Christ, and 
was baptised in the city of Buffalo, in that year. He 
immediately commenced a course of preparatory studies 
with the intention and hope of ultimately devoting 



himself to the gospel ministry. In 1834, he connected 
himself with the Hamilton Literary and Theological In- 
stitution, now Madison University. After having com- 
pleted the prescribed course of study in both depart- 
ments, he was graduated in 1838. With what assiduity 
and earnestness and with what honorable success he 
prosecuted his literary and theological studies, there are 
those present who can bear ample testimony. 

In 1839 he was ordained and settled over the Baptist 
Church, in the town of Avon, in the State of New York. 
Two years later he was called to take the pastoral 
charge of the Washington Street Church, in Buffalo. 
In October of 1842, he accepted the unanimous invita- 
tion of this Church and Society to become their pastor. 
He came to us in the vigor of his early manhood, at the 
age of twenty-eight years. He came with comparative- 
ly little ministerial experience. But he brought with 
him a trained and disciplined mind, and the habit of 
careful and patient investigation ; he had laid the foun- 
dation for that biblical scholarship, and that general 
culture which rendered his ministrations in after years 
eminently sound and instructive. More than this. He 
brought with him a heart devoted to the work of the 
ministry. He had no other object in view. He sought 
for nothing else. The sublime purpose of the great 
apostle was his, to know nothing as the. object of his 
life save Jesus Christ and him crucified. How well he 
bore himself in his high calling is known to you all. 
You are all witnesses this clay of his singleness of pur- 
pose, of his earnestness, of his prayerfulness, of his 
Godly sincerity, of his singular purity of christian life 
and conversation, and of his ever renewed labors and 



36 

self-sacrifice in promoting the spiritual interests of this 
people. 

In the autumn of 1852, after ten years of continuous 
labor, his health having became somewhat impaired, it 
was thought desirable that he should seek restoration 
in a voyage to Europe, and in several months of entire 
freedom from professional toil. With the hearty con- 
currence of his Church and Society, arrangements were 
being made for his departure. He anticipated much 
pleasure in visiting the principal cities of Europe. With 
a discriminating eye for the beauties of form and color, 
with cultivated tastes and large capacities for enjoying 
the higher productions of genius in art and literature, 
he might well anticipate not merely the pleasure of the 
passing clay, but that more substantial benefit, which 
consists in enlarging his own field of view and in gather* 
ing up materials for the illustration and enforcement of 
the great lessons of wisdom which it was the object of 
his life to teach. And this in fact was a prominent mo- 
tive in his mind. Had he carried Ms purpose into effect, 
not only the places of classical fame and commercial 
greatness would have engaged his attention, but those 
also which have become memorable in the history of 
christian truth and christian suffering. But Ms purpose 
was not realized. 

While his plans were being formed the Board of the 
American Baptist Missionary Union had come to the 
conclusion that it was important to send a deputation 
to the East to examine into the condition and actual 
working of our Missionary operations in Burmalr Ques- 
tions of the highest practical moment were to be can- 
vassed and settled. In looking round for a suitable 



.37 

person to be associated with the foreign Secretary in 
this arduous enterprise, the eyes of the Board were at 
once turned to the pastor of this church. His deep in- 
terest in the cause of Missions, his large and accurate 
acquaintance with our Missionary labors, his wisdom in 
counsel, his sound practical .judgment in the manage- 
ment of affairs, his inflexible integrity, and his singular 
freedom from ail those prejudices which forestall a just 
decision, pointed him out at once, as being precisely the 
man which that service demanded. The request of the 
Board was placed before him and the importance of his 
acceptance urged. He at once recognized in it, or 
thought he did, the call of duty. And with that unsel- 
fish devotion to the cause of Christ, which characterized 
his ministry, he abandoned his plans of recreation and 
personal improvement in making the circuit of European 
travel, and entered upon preparation for a long and per- 
ilous, and most arduous journey to the East. It was 
not the love of romance that quickened his step, nor the 
expectation of glory, nor even the prospect of renova- 
ting his impaired health, though he hoped that a sea 
voyage would not be without its utility in this respect. 
None of these motives tempted iiim away from the bo- 
som of his family, and the service of his people. His 
object was to do his master's will. For this he was 
ready to encounter the perils of the ocean and the perils 
of the desert, and the still greater perils of a tropical 
climate, which waylays the traveller at every state of 
his progress with insidious malaria and lurking epidemics. 
He accomplished the duty assigned him. He accomplish- 
ed it too in a manner which reflects the highest credit upon 



his diligence, his judgment, his impartiality and dis- 
crimination in adjusting differences of opinion, and above 
all his untiring zeal in securing the adoption of such 
measures as would most effectually carry the gospel to 
the homes and hearts of the dying heathen. 

The christian public hardly yet knows what priva- 
tions and toils and sacrifices that deputation encountered 
in the accomplishments of the objects of its mission. 
This is not the time nor the place to offer any remarks 
upon the importance of its labors to the continued 
prosperity of the missionary enterprise. Time will dis- 
close that when ephemeral objections have passed away. 

After an absence of eighteen months our beloved pas- 
tor returned to us in the fulness, I may say, of the 
blessing of the gospel of peace, He seemed, as you well 
remember, to bring with him an unction from the Holy 
one. He had looked upon the deep degradation of the 
human mind under the influence of reigning idolatry 
and superstition. He had also witnessed the renovating 
and sanctifying power of the gospel in restoring to that 
same degraded mind the love of holiness and of God ; and 
in awakening it from the loathsomeness of moral death 
to all the bright hopes and aspirations of a blessed im- 
mortality. You well remember, my brethren, with what 
renewed earnestness, standing in this place, he dwelt 
upon the power and priceless blessings of the gospel, 
and with what deep and fervent eloquence he pleaded 
before you the cause of the far off, dying heathen. His 
heart and soul were with the lone Missionary in the 
jungle. He endeavored faithfully to discharge his own 
duty, leaving to others the responsibility of meeting 



39 

theirs. Of his closing labors among us, and of his de- 
parture, I need say but little. 

I think it was not until within a comparatively few 
days of his death that he relinquished all hope of re- 
suming the labors of his pastoral office. I know that in 
his hours of seclusion and growing weakness, he was 
revolving in his mind themes for the edification of the 
people of his charge, and that, with unimpaired clear* 
ness and strength of mind, he reviewed again and again 
the great doctrines of grace and redemption which he 
had so long endeavored to preach. He sheltered him- 
self beside the rock of ages. There he reposed in calm 
security. Never were the great doctrines of atonement 
by the blood of Christ, and regeneration by the vital 
power of the Holy Spirit, clearer to him than in his last 
declining days. On these his faith and his hope rested. 
He spoke of them and continued to meditate upon them 
as the chief points in the plan of redemption, until with- 
in the last few hours of his life, when extreme physical 
debility terminated in mental aberration, and sealed up 
the testimony that he might otherwise have borne to 
the triumphant power of divine grace in the hour of 
death. We had hoped, fondly hoped to retain him for 
a longer period. But it now appears that he had already 
finished the ministry which he had received of the Lord 
Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God. 

And now, brethren, what more shall I say of him 
whose loss we mourn ? If I remember rightly Bishop 
Burnett somewhere says, that after many years of inti- 
mate acquaintance with Arch bishop Leighton, he had 
never known him to speak an idle word, nor be in any 
other frame of mind than he himself would wish to have 



40 

ill the Hour of his death. I cannot venture so much as 
this. But I will say that during a peried of more than 
fourteen years of intimate, of unreserved and confiden- 
tial intercourse with our beloved pastor, I never knew 
him to utter a sentence, nor to do an act, which, if spread 
before the world, would in any manner detract from the 
purest christian character. His purposes were all open, 
and generous and good. In the very nobleness of his 
nature he was incapable of guile. No one ever knew 
him to profess one tiring while he aimed at another. He 
had no selfish and unworthy ends to be accomplished 
and could never be driven by any pressure of circum- 
stances to the miserable succor of trickery and dissimu- 
lation. He possessed in an eminent degree that attrib- 
ute of character, rarer than genius, rarer than high en- 
dowments of intellect, — an attribute almost unknown to 
the aspirants after worldly fame and glory, — a perfect 
candor and fairness of mind with respect to the claims 
of others. No matter what might be his own interests, 
or the interests of his friends, he never sought to ad- 
vance them by magnifying any man's faults, or depre- 
ciating any man's virtues, or aspersing any man's char- 
acter. 

He had a remarkably well balanced mind, was sin- 
guarly free from the prejudices of education, and sect 
and party ; and while holding his own opinions with 
more than ordinary firmness, he felt no reluctance in al- 
lowing to all others the like privilege. In his public 
ministrations he abstained almost entirely from the spirit 
of controversy. His preaching was Biblical. He 
sought for the true intent and meaning of the revealed 
word. This was authortative, was ultimate. What holy 



41 

men of old spake, as they were moved by the Holy 
Ghost, neither required, nor admitted, in his view, of 
any higher sanction to its truth. Such was the under- 
shepherd, who has been taken from us in the meridian of 
his strength. 

Of the loss which this church and congregation, and 
indeed this whole coummunity, has sustained in his 
death, your presence here to-day is a sufficient testimony. 
In this large concourse of citizens, there is but one sen- 
timent. You are here to express your unfeigned sym- 
pathy in the sorrows of this afflictive dispensation, and 
pay the last sad tribute of respect to the memory of a 
good and able, and faithful minister of Christ 

Of the loss sustained by that broken domestic circle, 
I cannot speak. How irreparable it is, is known only 
to Him, who is the father of the fatherless and the 
widow's God and judge. May His tenderest mercies be 
upon them, and may they in this hour of bitter bereave- 
ment, have grace given them to say in the spirit of de- 
vout submission, even so Father for so it seemed good 
in thy sight. 

In conclusion, my brethren, let me say that it becomes 
us to ponder well the solemn lesson which this sad event 
teaches. Our spiritual guide and teacher has fallen in 
the midst of his usefulness. His is no longer a taber- 
nacle of clay, but a building of God, an house not made 
with hands eternal in the heavens. How soon may we 
too be summoned away from the scenes of earth ? How 
solemnly does this providence of God enforce the lesson 
of Scripture, that our life is even as a vapor which con- 
tinueth for a little season and then vanisheth away ? 
How does it urge us to do with our might what our 
6 



42 

hand findeth to do ? From these mortal remains of our 
departed brother, now to be borne to their long home, 
how solemn is the voice of admonition, set thine house 
in order for thou too shalt die and not live ? Oh 
let us heed the warning voice and prepare for the com- 
ing of our Lord. Let us be sure that we build for eternity, 
as our departed brother did, upon the rock of ages. 



APPENDIX. 



The Funeral of Rev. Dr. Granger, took place on Thursday, Jan- 
uary 8th, at 11 o'clock, A. M. 

The religious services were the following : 
I. A Solemn Chant by the Choir. 
II. Selections of Scripture, Eead by Rev. Dr. Leavitt. 

III. Address by Rev. Dr. Caswell. 

IV. Prayer by Rev. Dr. Wayland. 
V. Hymn. 

VI. Benediction. 



THE FOLLOWING WERE THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CHURCH AND 
THE SOCIETY OF WHICH DR. GRANGER WAS PASTOR, ON THE 
ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS DEATH. 

At a meeting of the First Baptist Church, held on the evening of 
Monday, January 5th, Rev. William Douglas was called to the 
chair. After the opening religious services, the chairman announce 
ed the death of the Pastor, and the object for which the meeting 
had been called ; whereupon the following Resolutions, reported by 
a committee appointed for the purpose, after being responded to 
with much feeling by several members of the Church, were unani- 
mously adopted, viz : 

Whereas, It has pleased our Heavenly Father, this day, to remove 
from us by death, the Rev. James Nathaniel Granger, D. D., 
who for more than fourteen years has been the beloved and faithful 
Pastor of this Church ; therefore 

Resolved, That inasmuch as God in his all-wise Providence, has 
been pleased to visit us with this most afflictive and sorrowful be- 
reavement, it is our duty now as at all times, to bow in humble 
and devout submission to the unalterable decree of Him who 
" doeth all things well." 



44 

Resolved, That it is with feelings of tender affection and heartfelt 
gratitude that we recall the life and character of our late Pastor, 
and his long and faithful ministry among us ; — a life radiant with 
the lustre of a pure Christian example — a character beautiful for its 
simplicity and its integrity, in which large endowments of intellect 
and lofty qualities of manhood were sanctified by a devout faith in 
the Son of God — a ministry distinguished for its devoted and ardu- 
otis labors, its large and comprehensive views of Christian truth and 
duty,its able and fearless preaching of the gospel of Christ, and its 
generous and active sympathy in all our joys and sorrows as indi- 
viduals and as a people. 

Resolved, That while we cherish with peculiar affection the mem- 
ory of our late Pastor in his more intimate connection with us as a 
Christian Church, we also deem it worthy of universal and signal 
honor for the sacrifices which he made and the labors which he per- 
formed as a Counsellor and Director of Christian missions, in ex- 
tending the kingdom of Christ among heathen nations. 

Resolved, That we affectionately offer to the family of our deceas- 
ed Pastor, our tenderest sympathy in this their great bereavement, 
and assure them that we mourn with them in the deepest sorrow 
over their irreparable loss. 

Resolved, That a committee of five persons be appointed by this 
Church to co-operate with a committee that may be appointed by 
the " Charitable Baptist Society " in making arrangements for the 
funeral of the Rev. Dr. Granger, at such time and in such a manner 
as his surviving family desire. 



A special meeting of the Charitable Baptist Society, was held on 
the afternoon of Tuesday, January 6th, at which the following pro- 
ceedings took place. 

On taking the chair, the President of the Society, Hon. Samuel 
G. Arnold, announced the event which had occasioned the meeting, 
in the following words : 

The object for which this meeting was called is known to you all. 
Our beloved and respected Pastor is no more. He expired at nine 
o'clock, on yesterday morning. For fourteen years he has presided 
over the spiritual interests of this Church and Society, and with but 
three exceptions was the oldest settled clergyman in the city. An 
event like this is no ordinary occurrence. The loss of such a man 
is a public calamity, involving not only the Society with which he 
was immediately connected, but extending itself to the entire com- 
munity. Upon us, who knew him best and loved him most this 
dispensation of the divine power falls with peculiar force, for in him 



45 

we have lost our spiritual father and faithful friend. It is not for 
me, nor is this the time, to pronounce his eulogy. The event we 
are called to mourn is too recent, the loss we have sustained too 
great, to admit of many words, or to allow that the impressive na- 
ture of the occasion, the solemn character of the event, should be 
impaired even by the earnest tribute that friendship pays to manly 
worth. Our leader has fallen. This venerable mother of churches 
has now for the second time within the present century been bereft 
of its Pastor by the hand of death. Twenty-eight years have pass- 
ed away since the venerable Gano, who for thirty-six years had 
done his master's work as the shepherd of this flock, was called to 
rest. And now the sombre drapery of grief again enshrouds these 
walls. The children who gathered here in awe and wonder near 
thirty years ago to pay the last tribute of respect to their patriarch- 
al friend, are here again, the active men and honored matrons of 
to-day, to mourn the loss of one of their own generation upon whose 
consecrated form the mantle of Gano had §illen. In an hour like 
this the thronging memories of the past, the clashing interests of 
the present, the thrilling hopes of the future — all that tends to unite 
our thoughts with earth, fades away before the dread reality of 
death. Dark indeed, how dark would be the prospect now, did we 
not know that to him we mourn the last struggle of mortal agony 
was but the birth pang of eternal life ; that his was that earnest 
hope and triumphant faith that can dispel the darkness of the tomb 
with the dawning light of immortality. An occasion like the pre- 
sent calls for some appropriate resolutions on the part of this Socie- 
ty, and if any gentleman is prepared to offer such, they will now be 
in order. 

The following resolutions were then offered by Eev. Dr. Caswell, 
and were unanimously adopted : 

Whereas, it has pleased Almighty God to remove from this life 
our beloved Pastor, the Reverend James N. Granger, D. D., 
who died yesterday morning, at his residence on Angell street, in 
the forty-third year of his age, and in the fifteenth year of his pas- 
torate over this Church and Society ; therefore 

Resolved, That in this afflictive dispensation, we desire to bow 
with reverence and submission to the will of our Heavenly Father, 
in whose hand our breath is and whose are all our ways, and with- 
out whose notice not a sparrow falls to the ground. We find con- 
solation in believing that his ways, though mysterious and unsearchr 
able, are all ordered in wisdom and goodness, and mercy. 

Resolved, That during the period of more than fourteen years in 
which our deceased Pastor has labored among us, we have reason 
to thank God for his able and faithful preaching, for his unspotted 
Christain life, for his eminently sound and practical judgment in the 



46 

conduct of business, for his generous sympathy and his active benev- 
olence in every enterprise which looked to the progress of the king- 
dom of Christ, and the welfare of the human race. 

Resolved, That we shall ever retain in grateful remembrance his 
instructions as our spiritual guide and teacher, his sympathy and 
words of consolation in our afflictions, and his sincere and abiding 
kindness in all the social relations of life. Nor shall we cease to 
admire his singular freedom from all guile and detraction, his broad 
and catholic sentiments of charity for sincere Christians of every 
name, aud the many virtues which mark the character of the refined, 
and dignified, yet unassuming Christian gentleman. 

Resolved, That we tender to the bereaved family our deep and 
heartfelt sympathy in their affliction, and supplicate for them the 
blessing of Him, who is the father of the fatherless and the widow's 
God and judge. 

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions, signed by the Presi- 
dent and Clerk, be presented to the family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That a committee of seven be appointed by the chair- 
man of this meeting to act in concert with the committee of the 
church in making all proper arrangements for the funeral services 
of our late Pastor. 

In seconding these resolutions, the following remarks were ad- 
dressed to the meeting by Rev. Alva Woods, D. D. 
Mr. President — 

I rise to say a word in support of the resolutions now offered. 

There can be but one feeling among us, that it is proper to mark 
by suitable tokens of respect and solemnity, the sore bereavement 
we are suffering in the loss of our beloved Pastor. 

A great and a good man has fallen. One of the brightest lights 
of the Church has been extinguished. One who was an honor to 
oUr Church, an ornament to the christian ministry, and a blessing 
to the world, has been removed from among us. Take him for all 
in all, we shall not look upon his like again. 

My first acquaintance with our late Pastor, was made while he 
was yet a student at Hamilton, N. Y. I there formed a high opin- 
ion of his intellectual capacities, his moral probity and the general 
benevolence of his character. When, therefore, the question of his 
election as our Pastor came up before us, I was prepared to express 
to the Church, as I then did, the confident opinion that Mr. Gran- 
ger was a man who would wear well: — that though less brilliant 
than some, he was a safe and a sound man, and one who would be 
useful in the christian ministry. 

How amply all this was verified in the results of his labors with 
us, I need not say to you. We saw him growing from year to year 



47 

in those attainments which added to his value as a good minister of 
Jesus Christ. 

His conceptions of truth were uncommonly clear and strong; and 
his reasonings were logical and forcible. 

He was, in a pre-eminent degree, a wise counsellor: — and his 
judgment, in all cases of difficulty, was rarely at fault. 

As a man, he was without guile. As a christian, simplicity and 
godly sincerity were his prominent features. He was frank, open- 
hearted, generous, charitable in his opinions of others and kind in 
his feelings towards all. He did not preach to others duties which 
he was not ready and forward to practice himself. 

In a word, I utter the deep convictions of my own heart, and I 
doubt not, the convictions of you all, when I say, that our late Pas- 
tor, in the kind, benevolent, christian spirit which he always mani- 
fested, in the valuable teachings and instructions which he gave his 
people during the many years of his minisiry, in his blameless, god- 
ly, useful life, and in the many prayers which he offered up for the 
spiritual welfare of his people, has left to each one of us a legacy of 
incomparably higher value, than any legacy of silver and gold ever 
bequeathed by a dying man to his best friends. Blessed are the 
dead who die in the Lord ; that they may rest from their labors, and 
their works do follow them. 



The following Resolutions adopted by the Executive Committee 
of the American Baptist Missionary Union, a't their meeting, in Bos- 
ton, January 6th, have been communicated to the Church. 

Resolved, That this Committee have heard of the death of the 
Kev. James N. Granger, D. D., one of the members of their Depu- 
tation to the seats of our missions, with deep emotion, not only in 
view of his fidelity in that arduous and perilous service, but of his 
high personal worth, and of his value as a minister of Christ in the 
sphere which he has filled in our own land. 

Resdlved, That we convey to his widow and family the assur- 
ance of our deep sympathy ; and that we will testify our regard 
for our departed fellow-servant and brother by the attendance of 
some one of our number on his obsequies. 

Resolved, That we embrace this sad occasion to express our 
deep sense of the sacrifice which the Church, of which he was 
Pastor, made in surrendering him to the claims of the missionary 
cause ; by which he was withdrawn from among them for so long a 
period; and that we sympathize with them in this bereavement 
which has terminated his labors among them. 



48 

Similar testimonials of respect for the character and services of the 
deceased were also adopted at meetings held by the Pastors of the 
Baptist Churches in Providence and the vicinity, by the Pastors of 
the Congregational Churches in Providence, and also by the Board 
of the Rhode Island Baptist State Convention, all which have been 
officially communicated to the Church. 



LRpJaV8 



